Tex Mex Sales continues to focus strictly on onions

by Tim Linden | April 24, 2014

Tex Mex Sales, based in Weslaco, TX, is a family owned and operated company dedicated to growing, packing, and delivering the best quality sweet and regular onions to its customers on a year-round basis.

Run by the father and son team of Marvin and Michael Davies, the firm uses its trademarked “OnionCare” system to deliver the best possible onions to its customers.

The firm was founded by Marvin Davis, who started in the produce business in 1961, and soon became a chain store buyer for Topco. In 1968, he left Topco and established his own company.

In 1981, Michael Davis started to work for his father and began by doing every job at the facility. From inspecting to packing to cleaning crew to even delivering onions himself, Michael worked his way up the company ladder. In 1994, after graduating from college, Michael moved back home to become a full partner in Tex Mex Sales.

The company’s website describes “OnionCare” as “a core belief that nothing should be spared to get you a beautiful, fresh onion. Onions that you’ll be proud to sell. OnionCare™ is a philosophy that we instill in each team member to treat each harvested onion as if it was the last onion on Earth. Protect and pamper that onion from the moment it’s picked until it’s handed off to you. “

Speaking to The Produce News on April 17, Michael Davis said the 2014 Mexico/South Texas onion deal “got off to a very light start” and added that it was also appearing to end early. “We have seen a big drop off (in supplies) over the last week.”

By the week after Easter (April 21-28), he said Mexico will be out of the deal and Texas will pretty much have the sweet onion deal to itself. While Southern California will also be harvesting in May, the sales of that crop typically is confined to the West Coast and doesn’t offer much head-to-head competition for Texas in the eastern half of the country.

Davis said Texas has less acreage this year and the industry also saw some early acreage go to seed because of cool temperatures. Consequently, he expects a very strong market throughout May and into June.

“The onions in our fields look really good,” he said on this mid-April day, adding that sizing has been good and the firm should have good size distribution for its customers.

Davis said Tex Mex is “very retail oriented” with retail customers accounting for about 60 percent of the firm’s onion sales. He added that foodservice represents 25-30 percent with wholesale vendors around the country taking the balance of their supplies.

The company sells both sweet and red onions, adding that the red onion market has been strong all spring and should stay that way.